When Shimano released details of their new 11-speed drivetrain components a couple of months back, the biggest talking point was the addition of a wide range 11-46t 11 speed cassette. Unfortunately, no samples or even photos were available, so it was a pleasant surprise to receive this example in the post today. After initially wondering what could be so big coming from Shimano that it needed a larger-than-shoebox-sized-box, when opened all was clear; this is a plus-sized cassette!

The jump from 37 to 46 teeth is a fair one, so the lowest gear is obviously to be used fairly exclusively as a bail out for only the steepest of climbs, while the 37 should see a lot of general climbing use now that a 36, 40 or 42 is gone.

Now that’s a dinner plate! The physical size of the cassette is quite confronting at first, even to those familiar with a 42t version. Remember when chainrings were 46 teeth and cassettes had 32 teeth? It’s all gone back-asswards! The 11 cogs cover a wide range spread of 418% over 11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32-37-46. With the super low 46t gear in play, it will be more practical for riders to run a bigger chainring (a 34 or 36 if you run a 32 currently) to maximise the higher gears, while still gaining a few teeth lower granny gear.

An alloy spider allows the use of standard freehubs rather than any proprietary system, which is good news for most riders who don’t want to be swapping out hubs or wheels to get an extra four teeth. The spider holds the top three cogs together just like Shimano’s other top-end cassettes…

…and an alloy carrier also holding the three middle steel cogs (28, 24, 21). This should help prevent the dreaded pitted alloy freehub bodies that single cogs can cause by cutting into the soft alloy, by spreading the contact area across a wider, more uniform surface.

Technical jargon:

• 11-46T gives a 418% gear range
• The top 2 cogs (46, 37) are aluminium, the remainder are steel
• 450g total weight
• Backwards compatible with existing XTR M9000 and Deore XT M8000 drivetrains
• Cog sizes up until the 46t are the same as Shimano’s popular 11-42t version, meaning you won’t notice any difference in shift jumps except for when you hit the granny.

We’ll be fitting this up (no doubt adding a few chain links) and will be giving that 46 a flogging due to our unfit winter laziness condition. Watch for a review and first ride impressions soon…